ME, MNE & CLSE Internship Graduation Requirements
ME, MNE, and CLSE students are required to complete an internship to graduate. Although it is not required, all other engineering students are also encouraged to participate in internship experiences.
Process for Industry-based Internship or Research Internship
- Enroll in and complete ENGR 395 Professional Development 1-credit course.
- Secure an industry-based internship or research internship. Ensure it will provide the following experiences:
- Application of engineering principles
- Team participation
- Problem-solving
- Work at least 300 hours. Students must have at least 300 hours of actual work experience at their research or industry-based internship (at 40 hours a week, this would be about 8 weeks of full-time work).
- During your industry-based internship or research internship enroll in ENGR 396. This online, zero credit course ensures that the industry internship or research internship is a learning experience, with oversight & support provided by VCU. Passing ENGR 396 or ENGR 398 is a requirement for graduation for ME, MNE, and CLSE majors.
- For industry internship or research internship, once you’ve completed ENGR 395, the internship, and ENGR 396, enroll in ENGR 496 or ENGR 494 to complete the internship series requirements. ENGR 496 is an online, zero credit course that validates that you've completed the requirements for internship. Alternatively, you may choose to enroll in ENGR 494 class "Intern or Co-op for Credit" to earn 3 academic credits. See more details on how to intern for academic credit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically, a research experience that counts as an internship is initiated by the student and does not overlap with other research requirements (class required research, VIP experiences, etc.). Remember, it has to be 300 hours at a minimum. To find out if your specific situation would count, please email your department chair.
Please submit the internship information before you begin the experience so that you know for sure it is approved by your department.
You may email Engineering Career Services and ask for help in adjusting your report on Handshake. Remember, the Honor Code applies to all information submitted on Handshake, so it is important to be accurate in your internship report.
No, both paid and unpaid internships count towards completion.
Only your department chair or associate chair can make the final approval. However, you can have a conversation with a career adviser in Engineering Career Services. If we think it is likely to be approved, we will direct you to contact your department chair or associate chair.